Written in partnership with Tech Goes Home, the new report provides clear recommendations for how to measure impact and improve outcomes for digital equity programs
On November 16, Tech Goes Home (TGH), a leading Massachusetts nonprofit committed to advancing digital equity, released a new white paper co-written by the Center’s Dr. Colin Rhinesmith and Malana Krongelb alongside TGH’s Advocacy Research Specialist Sangha Kang-Le. Supported by funding from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, the report focuses on identifying a strong theory of change and evaluation framework for TGH, its community, and the larger digital equity field.
Utilizing participatory action research methods – engaging directly with TGH learners, instructors, and staff, as well as with representatives from peer organizations across the country – the report offers actionable recommendations not only for TGH, but for digital equity organizations and policymakers seeking to better understand the impact of digital equity efforts and leverage that understanding to improve outcomes for programs and program participants.
For digital equity organizations, key recommendations include:
- Allocating time, money, and intentional effort to capture insights and expertise from community members;
- Engaging evaluation participants in their native languages; and,
- Working with funders to balance reporting requirements with participants’ privacy and self-defined measures of success.
Policymakers play a critical role in supporting this work, and should prioritize:
- Set aside funding that organizations can use to conduct evaluation;
- Technical assistance on effective program evaluation; and,
- Allowing government funding to be used to compensate community members for their expertise.
The following quotes about the project are excerpted from a November 16 press release shared by Tech Goes Home:
“At Tech Goes Home – like at so many digital equity organizations nationwide – our primary focus is on supporting the learners, instructors, and communities we serve,” said Sangha Kang-Le, Advocacy Research Specialist at TGH, who co-authored the report. “But we also recognize the critical importance of having effective, inclusive frameworks for evaluating the impact of our work and translating those learnings into strategies that lead to safe, sustainable, affordable digital access for more people in Massachusetts. Our hope is that our research may provide a roadmap for other digital equity organizations and for policymakers invested in supporting this work.”
“It was exciting to partner with Tech Goes Home on this project,” said Dr. Rhinesmith, Founder and Director of the Digital Equity Research Center and co-author of the report. “The opportunity to engage with TGH learners, instructors, and staff, along with organizations doing similar work across the country, yielded important insights into how to leverage participatory action research effectively, and provided clear action steps for digital equity organizations, partners, and policymakers. Investing in this type of research and sharing best practices is strengthening the delivery of digital equity programming and, ultimately, expanding opportunity for individuals, families, and communities across the country.”
“Bridging the digital divide requires intentional investment in historically underserved communities so that everyone has the training and skills to engage in our digital world,” said Vilas Dhar, President of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. “We are proud to support this research from Tech Goes Home and the Digital Equity Research Center, which provides clear, powerful recommendations for how digital equity programs can put community at the center of efforts to learn and improve the delivery of essential support for students, workers, and families in all of our communities.”
Read the full report from Tech Goes Home and the Digital Equity Research Center, or a summary published by the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society.
